Body mass index and body fat in Lebanese female adolescents.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between body mass index (BMI) and body fat (BF) among Lebanese female adolescents. METHODS 51 Lebanese females aged 12 to 18 years participated in this study. BMI was calculated as weight/height. Adiposity was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). RESULTS Correlation coefficient of percent body fat (%BF) with BMI is 0.82. Correlation coefficient of fat mass (BF) with BMI is 0.93. The two linear regression formulas are: %BF = 6.89 + (1.1 *BMI) and BF = - 0.425 + (129 *BMI). CONCLUSION Correlations of BMI with DEXA measurements were higher with BF than %BF. For a given BMI, Lebanese girls have a higher than expected %BF. Based on the current findings, there may be a need to develop new cutoff points. From a public health perspective, this may considerably increase the prevalence of obesity among Lebanese female adolescents.